Police secure area near VVD leader Yeşilgöz’s home after "suspicious activity"

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz was unable to return to her home in Amsterdam on Saturday night after the Debat van het Zuiden (Debate of the South) due to what she called a “suspicious situation” near her residence. Speaking on the television program Buitenhof on Sunday, she said she was alerted to an unsafe situation and taken to a secure location. She was able to return home later that night, in the early hours of Sunday.

According to Yeşilgöz, several people were seen behaving suspiciously in her neighborhood. It remains unclear whether anyone was arrested. She added that police conduct checks throughout the entire area in such circumstances.

Yeşilgöz said she could not say for certain where the threat came from but noted that threats against her usually originate from organized crime. She has been under continuous protection since serving as Minister of Justice and Security, when she first began receiving such threats.

“That this happens in the middle of the election campaign is annoying,” Yeşilgöz said. “But everyone has something to deal with. It just made me very angry. I needed a moment to calm down.” She described having had a “short night” before appearing on Buitenhof and said she was relieved to have been able to return home safely.

The incident comes amid growing concern about the safety of party leaders during the election campaign. Earlier this month, PVV leader Geert Wilders suspended his campaign after receiving threats from Belgium, and Frans Timmermans of GroenLinks-PvdA was confronted by an aggressive individual during a terrace interview in Amsterdam.